Jigoro Kano was a man ahead of his time. He played a major role on developing the educational aspect of martial arts by realizing that it could benefit society in general and not just fighters or soldiers.

Blending vision, passion, and discipline, Kano made the worldwide expansion of his style of Jiu-Jitsu a life project.  

Over the years, his efforts flourished. He kept the flame of Jiu-Jitsu alive and introduced it to countries and cultures all over the world. More then that, at the year of 1964, his Jiu-Jitsu style, already well known as Kodokan Judo, became an olimpic sport.

Among the many aspects that made Kano's dream possible, stands out a strong philosophical foundation. His famous quote "Maximum efficiency and minimum effort for the mutual welfare and benefit of all" became a moral beacon guiding martial artists all over the world.

The geniality behind his philosophy is the combination of the principles of efficiency and effectiveness into one one ideal.  Kano defines the pursuit of efficiency as a means to achieve a goal: individual well-being and social welfare.

There could be no better way to get back to our discussion about the Five Fundamental Principles of the Gentle Art then to rescue Kano's philosophy. Its influence is wide and many other historic characters on the development of our art have embraced it, either because they got the same conclusions Kano did or because they were influenced by his words.

Few examples:

Grand Master Carlos Gracie Sr, the founder of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, stated that he "have come to realize that Jiu-Jitsu becomes an essential support to one's psychological security related to the basic instinct of survival. Despite the civilization process, men and women still carry a 'warrior spirit' to which the capacity of self protection and the protection of our loved ones is indispensable". 

Rickson Gracie has recently stated on a brilliant interview that Jiu-Jitsu is much more then the effectiveness it is displaying on MMA combats.  The real BJJ effectiveness is hindered when its use is restricted to MMA and fighting. According to him, “Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu should be incorporated on a social level as a facilitator to developing social skills.” 

The lessons we learn from understanding and applying this philosophy to our training and daily lives is that efficiency makes no sense without effectiveness. It would be like starting a trip with the best car without knowing where we are going.  There is no point in improving our fighting skills if it is not for a higher purpose. Kano, Carlos, and Rickson chose to believe that the purpose of fighting is the betterment of the individual and the community. We share the same vision.

But let us explain. Efficiency, as argued on our last column, stands for the best use of one's physical and mental energy. As fighters we invest many hours a day to get better. We practice the same techniques over and over again to find that path of least resistance where leverage is perfect, effortless. We learn how to use what master Rickson calls on his interview "the invisible force". 

All that is related to pure efficiency. But efficiency without a pre-defined goal is an abstraction and can become a big mistake. Picture this: you are watching a BJJ tournament and one of the athletes takes your breath away by performing the most beautiful throw you have ever seen. He steps across, brings his hip in and flips his opponent over his head, throwing him so high that the opponent lands on his feet on the other side. You are now intrigued: why the referee scored no points? 

That is because the "perfect" throw you just witnessed was just a throw and not a take down. Despite the perfect leverage - or the "invisible force" - that made the opponent literally fly, there was no effectiveness in driving all that energy to accomplishing a desired outcome: the 2 points for a take down. A simple single leg might have been a better option. 

Efficiency is blind. It can be violent, brutal, and at the same time beautiful to witness. But without intelligence and strategy it can become a waste. The question one must ask to transcend the cold realm of efficiency and reach towards the effectiveness of results is why. 

Why I am doing this move? What am I trying to accomplish? The most efficient throw is only worth if it becomes a take down. A beautiful flying arm-bar is only worth if the opponent actually taps.

An instructor or a coach should always have these two ideas in mind. He should pass on to the students that the efficiency resulting from excelling on each step of the technique he or she is executing, should go side by side with the effectiveness derived from a good strategy to achieve a defined goal: a submission, a sweep, or a take down.

Another, and even more important type of question that should be asked is: what is the purpose of my dedication towards becoming a BJJ black belt? Why do I do this? What do I want to accomplish by dedicating so many hours of my life to training? 

The answers for these questions are much more individual and complicated. There are some people that have probably never thought of that: "I don't know man, I just like to be here". There are those who have the ambition to be famous or make millions of dollars on a elusive MMA career: "I want to be a UFC fighter!". And there are those who see in fighting the best way to help others and themselves: "I just love to be on the mats. I love to learn and teach and  the challenge of each roll. It makes me grow as a person". 

Kano, Carlos and Rickson Gracie, us, and many other martial artists lean more towards the third type of answer. We believe that the purpose of fighting is the individual well-being and social welfare. Competition, being a friendly grappling tournament or a hard core MMA fight on a cage, should serve the goal of bettering the student, allowing him or her to reach to higher and deeper levels of self knowledge and inner peace. 

It is our view that fighting is not an end in itself. It is a powerful means to a much higher purpose: Human Development. We finish this column with the Gracie Barra School Mission Statement. Years from now we want to be judged by how many lives we have improved and not just how many trophies or medals we have won.

"To train body, mind and spirit through the highest level of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instruction as a vehicle for individual development and the strengthening of the family spirit, going beyond the 'winning-losing' or 'contest' philosophy"

Use your Jiu-Jitsu.

Kind regards,

Prof. Flavio Almeida